The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

Busy Lopez casts doubt on more ‘American Idol’

Thu, 17 May 2012 01:00:35 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 17 — Jennifer Lopez is casting doubt on whether she will return to “American Idol” next year as she juggles motherhood with a comeback in both her pop music and acting careers. Lopez, who has young twins, told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres this week that she wasn’t sure about renewing her contract as a judge on the TV singing ...

Britney is back — and so are the brickbats

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:10:57 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 17 — Britney Spears has not even taken her seat as the new judge of “The X Factor,” but the pop icon is already getting a lesson in the media glare of live, talent show television. Spears had barely wrapped up an appearance in New York confirming she is joining the singing contest before the celebrity knives were out, raising the ...

‘Godfather of Go-Go’ Chuck Brown dies aged 75

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:05:18 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 17 — Chuck Brown, known as the “Godfather of Go-Go” for the subgenre of funk music he helped create, died yesterday at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore after being admitted earlier this month suffering from pneumonia. A spokeswoman for the hospital confirmed the death but could not provide a cause, and Brown’s ...

‘Moonrise Kingdom’ called ‘very, very funny,’ ‘chic and charming’: Twitter highlights from Cannes

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:59:37 GMT

CANNES, May 16 — Wes Anderson’s tale of young love and escape Moonrise Kingdom is the opening film for this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Critics and other attendees of the first screening took to Twitter to express their opinions, a selection of which can be found below in the first of a series of articles from Relaxnews examining social media ...

Bradley Cooper stars in ‘Hit and Run’

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:51:24 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 16 — The first trailer for the romantic-comedy Hit and Run, starring Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) and Kristin Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) was released May 15. Cooper, who wears dreadlocks, plays the former cohort of Dax Shepard’s character, an ex-bank robber in the witness protection programme whose past returns to haunt ...

Baron Cohen’s dictator storms Cannes, camel in tow

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:14:45 GMT

CANNES, May 16 — It took no less than a live camel strolling the promenade in Cannes to steal the show on the film festival’s opening day, a feat that comedian Sacha Baron Cohen pulled off with chutzpah today. The British satirist, star of “Borat” and “Bruno,” used the novel public relations stunt to draw attention to the US opening of his new ...

A Minute With: Lopez, Banks on expectations when ‘Expecting’

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:29:08 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 16 — Jennifer Lopez and Elizabeth Banks — stars of this Friday’s baby comedy movie “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” are two Hollywood moms who could not be more different. Lopez is a newly divorced, singer and actress with twin toddlers, Max and Emme, whose busy schedule includes being a judge on TV’s “American Idol” and ...

Ex-captive Shalit brings reality to set of Homeland

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:06:39 GMT

JERUSALEM, May 16 — Showtime’s award-winning drama Homeland got a taste of reality when former captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit stopped by the set during filming in Jaffa. Homeland is a psychological thriller about the recovery of a US marine suspected by the CIA of being an agent of his former al Qaeda captors. It is based on the Israeli ...

Aaron Sorkin to pen screenplay for Steve Jobs film

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:32:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 16 — Steve Jobs’ life will be brought to the big screen by Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin in a movie based on Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography of the enigmatic co-founder of Apple, maker of iPods and iPads. Sony Pictures Entertainment yesterday unveiled plans to put Sorkin, who wrote Facebook film “The Social ...

‘Voice’ winner Jermaine Paul to stay true to roots

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:46:21 GMT

NEW YORK, May 16 — Jermaine Paul, the newly crowned winner of popular TV singing competition “The Voice”, wants to make music that ordinary Americans like himself and his family can relate to — with a few celebrity cameos, of course. R&B singer Paul, a former backup for Alicia Keys and Mary J. Blige, told reporters on a conference call yesterday ...

How to be funny by Kuah Jenhan

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:12:49 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 — Watching Kuah Jenhan getting nervous is not something expected of a celebrated stand-up comedian. But there he stood, apprehensive in front of a few teenagers as he coached them in an hour-long workshop on being funny. “I was more nervous than everyone else — I know I’m going to ruin their lives, but I want to ruin it ...

Masseur drops sex assault claim against John Travolta

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:13:31 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 16 — One of the two male masseurs who accused actor John Travolta of sexual assault yesterday dropped his US$2 million (RM6.2 million) lawsuit, but the lawyer for the second masseur said he was going ahead with that case and was confident of success. The unidentified man, referred to as John Doe No. 1, who claimed that the ...

New 4-minute ‘Amazing Spider-Man’

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:34:13 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 15 — A ‘super preview’ of The Amazing Spider-Man was premiered on the US television show America’s Got Talent on May 14, running four minutes, it is packed with new footage and a better look at the villainous Lizard. The latest big screen redo of the Marvel superhero, Spider-Man aka Peter Parker, stars Andrew Garfield (The Social ...

Cannes film festival curtain up with comedy, chaos

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:36:03 GMT

CANNES, May 15 — Comedy will dominate the opening of the Cannes film festival tomorrow, with Wes Anderson’s child fantasy “Moonrise Kingdom” in a tussle with Sacha Baron Cohen‘s anarchic alter ego General Aladeen for the attention of the world’s media. Thousands of journalists and movie executives are in the glamorous Riviera resort for 12 hectic ...

Lady Gaga gagged in Indonesia after Islamic opposition

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:58:40 GMT

JAKARTA, May 15 — Pop star Lady Gaga has been refused a permit to perform in the Indonesian capital next month over security concerns, police said today, after Islamic groups voiced strong objections to her “vulgar” style. Three Islamic groups have expressed their opposition to the concert on June 3, demanding it be stopped, national police ...

James Franco curates ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ exhibition

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:45:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 15 — Actor James Franco (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), who recently screened his film Francophrenia at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, is also an exhibited artist and a published author. He opens an exhibition this week in Los Angeles, inspired by the iconic film Rebel Without a Cause. In association with the Museum ...

Julianne Moore joins Chloë Moretz in ‘Carrie’ reboot

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:43:10 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 15 — The 1976 horror classic Carrie starring Sissy Spacek and John Travolta is getting a remake with Chloë Moretz (Dark Shadows, Kick-Ass) in the starring role and Julianne Moore has signed on to play her mother, according to entertainment website Deadline Hollywood. Based on the Stephen King novel, the story of a mousy girl with ...

No more monkey business at NBC, time for Revolution

Tue, 15 May 2012 07:10:04 GMT

NEW YORK, May 15 — The NBC network yesterday brought a monkey to pitch new programmes to prospective advertisers, looking to highlight a new comedy set in a veterinary clinic rather than the circus its primetime lineup has been in recent years. “Animal Practice” was among the shows NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt showcased at the upfront ...

Natalie Wood’s Mercedes up for auction

Tue, 15 May 2012 02:11:57 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 15 — Natalie Wood’s vintage Mercedes Roadster is going up for auction in July, more than 30 years after her death at sea, auctioneer Profiles in History said yesterday. Wood’s white 1967 Mercedes 250SL Roadster Coupe automatic, which comes with a certification card, has 106,000 miles on the clock and is expected to fetch between ...

Spears, Lovato sign on to ‘The X Factor’

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:46:08 GMT

NEW YORK, May 15 — Britney Spears and former Disney Channel star Demi Lovato yesterday officially joined the US version of “The X Factor”, leading creator Simon Cowell to pledge the second season would “seriously kick butt” when it returns in September. Spears, 30, the world’s biggest pop phenomenon of the 2000s, and Lovato, 19, will fill the ...

Michael Jackson costumes shown on world tour

Mon, 14 May 2012 23:45:31 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 15 — A collection of costumes worn by the late Michael Jackson is going on a global tour starting next month ahead of an auction in Beverly Hills in December, Julien’s Auctions said yesterday. The exhibition, to open in Santiago, Chile, on Friday, will include one of the singer’s signature crystal-covered gloves, a military-style ...

‘Desperate Housewives’ find happy endings on TV

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:51:38 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 14 – For eight years, the women of Wisteria Lane battled alcoholism, cancer, cheating husbands and direct attempts on their lives, but in the TV series finale on Sunday, four “Desperate Housewives” lived a fairy tale ending. “This street is a lot of things, boring is not one of them,” Teri Hatcher’s Susan Delfino told the new ...

Will Ferrell in ‘The Campaign’

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:38:26 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 14 – The first trailer for The Campaign starring Will Ferrell was released online this weekend. The Campaign, which costars Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) and is directed by Jay Roach (Meet the Fockers, Austin Powers), follows a pair of political candidates, a slick incumbent with an unexpected and unlikely opponent, a naïve ...

Movie stars and mavericks set course for Cannes

Mon, 14 May 2012 02:55:58 GMT

PARIS, May 14 — Arthouse directors and Hollywood royalty will converge on the French Riviera for two weeks from Wednesday as the Cannes Film Festival rolls out the red carpet for the giants and mavericks of the movie galaxy. David Cronenberg, Ken Loach and Michael Haneke are among the 22 international film-makers vying for the Palme d’Or award at ...

Cannes festival slammed for all-male line-up

Mon, 14 May 2012 02:27:58 GMT

PARIS, May 14 — French feminists on Friday slammed the Cannes Film Festival for failing to include a single woman director in the line-up for the Palme d’Or top award that kicks off next week. There are no female film-makers among the 22 competing for the top award at the May 16-27 festival, and just two among the 17 in its new talent section “Un ...

‘Avengers’ rings up US$103m in record weekend

Mon, 14 May 2012 01:03:04 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 14 — “The Avengers,” the smash hit movie about Marvel superheroes who team up to save the Earth, crushed competitors for a second weekend with a record US$103.2 million (RM316.8 million) in US and Canadian ticket sales and was poised to top US$1 billion worldwide, studio estimates showed yesterday. After posting the highest ...

Travolta lawyer debunks sex claim by third man

Sun, 13 May 2012 10:25:23 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 13 — John Travolta’s lawyer has hit back at “ridiculous” new claims of sexual advances levelled at the actor by a third man, as a first accuser backtracked on the date of an alleged Beverly Hills incident. Cruise ship worker Fabian Zanzi claimed on a Chilean TV show, “Primer Plano”, that the Hollywood star offered him US$12,000 ...

Fiona Apple details deluxe package of ‘The Idler Wheel…’

Sun, 13 May 2012 02:27:49 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 13 — American singer Fiona Apple is gearing up to finally release her first album since 2005's critical hit Extraordinary Machine, and just released details on a deluxe edition of the new album, titled in full The Idler Wheel Is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do. The ...

Batman, Spider-man, Iron Man guard Obama at fundraiser

Sat, 12 May 2012 23:52:26 GMT

NEW YORK, May 13 — At George Clooney's celebrity-studded fundraiser for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, the joke of the night was that the Secret Service was backed up by Batman, Spider-Man and the Iron Man - or at least the actors who played them. Karen Blutcher, who won a lottery to attend the fundraiser after contributing US$14 ...

Gwyneth Paltrow face of latest Hugo Boss scent

Sat, 12 May 2012 08:46:12 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 12 – Hugo Boss has tapped Gwyneth Paltrow as the face of its new perfume Boss Nuit Pour Femme, which is inspired by the elegance of the little black dress. As the current face of Scandinavian chain Lindex and luxury leather goods brand Coach, the Oscar-winning actress is no stranger to the realm of modelling, and back in 2005 ...

Two arrested in Stevie Wonder extortion plot

Sat, 12 May 2012 05:55:41 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 12 — Stevie Wonder’s nephew has been arrested and charged with an extortion scheme against the singer, Los Angeles prosecutors said yesterday. Alpha Lorenzo Walker, 38, was arrested on May 2, along with another alleged conspirator, Tamara Eileen Diaz. The pair had threatened to reveal information they claimed would be embarrassing ...

Jury convicts man of murdering Jennifer Hudson’s family

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:34:38 GMT

CHICAGO, May 12 — An Illinois jury yesterday found the estranged brother-in-law of Grammy- and Oscar-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson guilty of killing three members of her family in 2008. William Balfour, 31, (picture) was found guilty of fatally shooting Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson, 57, her brother Jason Hudson, 29, and her ...

Travolta should survive sex scandal, say experts

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:26:25 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 12 — John Travolta may be the subject of a US$2 million (RM6 million) assault and sexual battery lawsuit, but there is little likelihood the allegations will ruin the Hollywood star’s career, celebrity image experts said yesterday. Travolta, 58, has battled negative headlines all week after two unidentified male masseurs filed a ...

‘The Dictator’ film launches in offensive style

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:59:08 GMT

LONDON, May 11 — German Chancellor Angela Merkel and News Corp head Rupert Murdoch were among the targets of British comic Sacha Baron Cohen’s satirical humour late yesterday at the world premiere of his political spoof “The Dictator”. Donning full military regalia and a false beard, and brandishing a replica golden pistol, he swept up the London ...

Cannes film festival puts spotlight on rising stars

Fri, 11 May 2012 15:13:08 GMT

LONDON, May 11 — Rising stars will compete against established Hollywood names for the limelight at this year’s Cannes film festival, with Robert Pattinson, Zac Efron, Kristen Stewart and Shia LaBeouf all appearing in highly anticipated movies. They will rub shoulders with the likes of Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman, as well as some of the great ...

‘House’ finale bittersweet: ‘Everybody Dies’

Fri, 11 May 2012 06:29:53 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 11 — TV medical drama “House” ends on a bittersweet note this month in a series finale titled “Everybody Dies” that sees cantankerous but brilliant Dr. Gregory House examining his future and personal demons, show creator David Shore said yesterday. But Shore refused to give details of the final episode, or how returning characters ...

Howard Stern says will tone down act for ‘Got Talent’

Fri, 11 May 2012 05:21:34 GMT

NEW YORK, May 11 — Shock jock Howard Stern promised yesterday to tone down his act for his judge’s role on “America’s Got Talent,” in a shift from some of the controversy that has helped make his radio show popular and has shaped his reputation. Stern replaces Piers Morgan on the judging panel for the NBC talent show that returns for a seventh ...

Hollie Cavanagh couldn’t make ‘Idol’ fans love her

Fri, 11 May 2012 02:15:20 GMT

NEW YORK, May 11 — Hollie Cavanagh was sent home from top-rated TV talent show “American Idol” last night after singing “I Can’t Make You Love Me” — a song choice that proved prophetic. Cavanagh closed out the show by performing Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb,” remaining composed while fellow contestant Joshua Ledet wept as she sang. Almost 70 million ...

Russell Brand to host 2012 MTV Movie Awards

Fri, 11 May 2012 01:20:12 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 11 — Russell Brand will host the MTV Movie Awards for the first time when it airs in June, bringing his style of comedy from “high to low brow” to the show, the network said yesterday. The British comedian, known for raunchy, off-the-cuff humour, promised a programme “more impressive than ‘The Avengers,’” in a nod to the summer ...

The Simpsons go Gaga for season finale

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:28:42 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 11 — Watch out Springfield, little monsters are coming to town! Pop star Lady Gaga has revealed that she will grace the season finale of Fox’s hit animation show “The Simpsons” to her 23 million Twitter fans, known as ‘little monsters,’ with a promotional trailer for the episode. The teaser, which she posted on Wednesday, shows ...

‘Avengers’ takes control of Chinese box office

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:07:22 GMT

HONG KONG, May 10 — There’s one Hollywood-produced blockbuster dominating in China, one waiting patiently in the wings, and one that will soon use the country as a backdrop as its studio looks to connect with the world’s fastest growing cinematic scene. That’s what has China’s film fans buzzing this week as the all-conquering Avengers has done ...

Iggy Pop mellows but not getting in a box yet

Thu, 10 May 2012 09:35:51 GMT

PARIS, May 10 — Punk music pioneer Iggy Pop — famous for onstage mayhem like smearing his sinewy torso with olive oil and diving headfirst into crowds — is mellowing in old age with a solo album of crooning classic covers, half of them in French. But at 65 years old it’s all part of pushing new boundaries, and making sure he’s not categorised as ...

Jury begins deliberations in Jennifer Hudson family killings

Thu, 10 May 2012 03:38:47 GMT

CHICAGO, May 10 — Not a single fingerprint or scrap of DNA was found to prove who murdered three family members of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson in 2008, but prosecutors said there was overwhelming circumstantial evidence to convict her jealous brother-in-law as the jury began deliberations yesterday. Hudson, her head bowed at times when ...

Depp, Burton bring light comedy to ‘Dark Shadows’

Wed, 09 May 2012 23:53:43 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 10 — Working with director Tim Burton, Johnny Depp has played many eccentric characters in the movies, from lonely monster Edward Scissorhands to eccentric filmmaker Ed Wood and the Mad Hatter of “Alice in Wonderland.” But there was at least one strange being they had not tried — a vampire — and that is about to change. The odd ...

Celebrity hair stylist Vidal Sassoon dead at 84

Wed, 09 May 2012 23:47:23 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 10 — Vidal Sassoon, hair stylist and fashion world icon who created a natural look in the 1960s and built a multi-million dollar business on his name, has died of apparent natural causes at his home in Los Angeles. He was 84. The British stylist’s scissors spelled the end of the 1950s-era beehive and the bouffant — untouchable ...

‘Dark Shadows’ tries to attack ‘The Avengers’

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:40:27 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 9 — Opening on the heels of The Avengers isn’t the easiest placement for Dark Shadows but Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton’s fantasy comedy could follow in the box office steps of their previous collaborations, Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for another success. Far from the horror vampire themes of ...

Second masseur accuses John Travolta of sexual battery

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:11:18 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 9 — A second unidentified masseur has joined a US$2 million (RM6.06 million) lawsuit against John Travolta claiming the actor sexually assaulted the men in two separate incidents during private massages, according to amended court documents filed yesterday. The second unnamed man, a resident of Georgia referred to as John Doe No. ...

Ben Affleck’s ‘Argo’

Wed, 09 May 2012 13:12:44 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 9 — The first trailer for the political drama Argo, starring Ben Affleck who also directs the film, was released May 8. The film is based on a true tale about the rescue of six American diplomats held hostage in Iran during 1979, by concocting a scheme about making a movie. The Canadian government partnered with the US to convince ...

A Minute With: The softer side of Sharon Osbourne

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:49:55 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 9 — Sharon Osbourne made a name for herself as the tough, plain-speaking manager who revived the career of her rocker husbandOzzy, and put the crazy life of her family on view in reality series “The Osbournes.” Now the British celebrity, a judge on “America’s Got Talent” and member of morning female chat show “The Talk”, has taken ...